Marlins' Samson says no chance of 100 losses in '14

Whether by mandate or his own volition, Marlins team president David Samson had a lower profile in 2013. He wasn’t as visible and as a result did not generate any headlines. That changed Thursday at Marlins Park, where Samson represented the club in the American Athletic Conference’s announcement of the Miami Beach Bowl. Starting in 2014, the Marlins Bark will host the postseason college football game at least through 2019.

Samson raised eyebrows when questions shifted to the building’s permanent tenant. Not only did Samson guarantee the Marlins wouldn’t log back-to-back 100-loss seasons, he predicted a 180-degree turnaround.

“I promise you this: We’re not going to lose 100 games next year, not close,” Samson said. “Look what the Red Sox did. They had the same record we did in ’12 (69-93). They turned it around to be in the World Series in ’13. It’s time for us to do the same. That’s why we didn’t book that concert in October (2014). Why would we ever book something when we should be and will be playing playoff games?”

The concert to which Samson referred was a major event the Marlins turned down for fear of a scheduling conflict.

“With our new core, I expect we’ll have several appearances as one of 10 [playoff] teams,” said Samson, adding he expects the Marlins to be on the field in Jupiter Feb. 16. “We’re starting the minute we can…We want to get out there and get going. We have some very cool things for spring training, some games we’re going to have. What’s better is we’re getting ready for another season and we’re going to win more.”...